Teaching both adults and university students has become one of my core professional interests. I am currently developing a civic education program that helps residents understand how local government works and, more importantly, how to participate effectively in it. The program is designed to move beyond simply providing information by helping participants develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become more active members of their communities.
The program is being piloted in Brooklyn, New York this summer (2026) in collaboration with Old Stone House with the help of outstanding political science students at Columbia University and Barnard College. The first 90 minutes will be an interactive teaching session providing basic information on how government works and how you can engage. The last 30 minutes will be a Q&A with guests from the community actively engaged in the topics we discuss. Participants will also be invited to join a WhatsApp community group where they can find announcements of local civic events and coordinate with one another to attend local government meetings, civic events, and volunteer opportunities.
Following the completion and evaluation of the pilot, we hope to expand the program to more communities within NYC and in other cities and towns in the US and partner with city governments and educational institutions to make this type of learning broadly accessible.
Module 1: Who Does What in Local Government? RSVP: Tuesday, July 14, 7-9PM at Old Stone House. (Slides Available Here).
This session provides an introduction to the main positions in local government, what power different political leaders and government officials have, and how citizens can engage with them. Participants will learn which officials are responsible for key issue areas, where public meetings take place, and how to connect the issues they care about to specific offices, agencies, and site of civic engagement.
Special Guests for Q&A:
Mike Racciopo, Director, Community Board 6.
Joanna Tallantire, Executive Director, Park Slope 5th Avenue BID.
Jules Block, Owner, Bark Slope; Board Member, Community Board 6 and Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.
Module 2: Housing (NYC Slides Coming Soon). RSVP: Tuesday, July 21, 7-9PM at Old Stone House.
This session explores how local government shapes housing policy, zoning, and tenant protections. Participants will learn how to engage with planning meetings, City Council decisions, and housing agencies to influence local housing policy.
Special Guests for Q&A:
Alec Schierenbeck, General Counsel, Department of City Planning
Rebecca Kobert, Senior Fair Housing Planner, HPD Equitable Neighborhood Initiatives
Mimi Rosenberg, Senior Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society.
Mike Racciopo, Director, Community Board 6.
Module 3: How To be an Informed Local Citizen: Local News, Misinformation. RSVP: Tuesday, July 28, 7-9PM at Old Stone House.
This session provides an overview of local news in NYC; equips participants with tools to know misinformation when they see it; and also provides resources for collecting your own information for public writing on local government.
Special guests TBA. Expect to see local reporters and AI experts who can speak to the local news environment in NYC and Brooklyn.
Module 4: Political and Advocacy Campaigns and GOTV.
RSVP: September 23, 7-9PM at Old Stone House.
New Yorkers have made impressive changes through unprecedented participation in the 2025 mayoral election campaign and advocating for the protection and expansion of public services from library funding to childcare. This session discusses what is known about how to get voters out to the polls and how to petition for public services through issue campaigns and engaging local leaders. We will also hear from veterans these efforts to learn from their experiences.
*Participants and observers from afar are encouraged to get to 100 points or more on this Civic Boot Camp this summer.
Module 5: Policing and Public Safety.
October 14, 7-9PM at Old Stone House.
Crime and policing was one of the top issues in the 2025 mayoral elections and before. But what are the levers of power citizens and their representatives have to influence how police protect their neighborhoods and how they treat the people they interact with in the city? And what (if anything) can NYC and its police do when it comes to protecting immigrants in NYC? This session will explain how policing works in NYC and how citizens can hold police accountable and lobby for resources and policy change in policing.
Module 6: Defending and Expanding Public Services in Your Neighborhood
RSVP: October 21, 7-9 PM at Old Stone House
Public services from sanitation to education to libraries and safe bike lanes are not only essential to day to day life but core to social life in our neighborhoods. In this session, we’ll discuss the range of public services in NYC, how they are funded, and how residents can advocate for them.